8"x8" Timberframe Cabin

[mtholton]

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of construction. Been toying with having a 300 to 400 square foot shack/cabin built this spring. I found an amish builder about 30 minutes from me that seems very reasonable and have found some very happy customers of his (guy named Ivan out of Chetek).

Here is an example: http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_5585_0.html (not the style I'd want, but this basic gist)

Just curious if there are any obvious advantages of this approach vs stick built for this size structure. The seemingly low price appealed to me. I want a warm place to stay a few weekends a year during the hunting season. Enough room to sleep up to four, but usually just one or two of us... My house is only a hour away, so I don't envision extended stays. We stay in a junky old camper now...

 

[bwoods11]

8x8 seems small. We use an Ice Castle Fish house 8x16 for weekend hunts, works well, just no real bathroom.

 

[j-bird]

Ummm....unless I mis-understood. The wall construction is 8" x 8" solid wood beams. The building itself is to be in the 300 to 400 square foot range (20 feet x 20 feet is 400 square feet as an example).

I see it as essentially a log cabin and they used them back in the day for a reason....wood was easy to get, has good insulation properties and is pretty sturdy. I would have a lot of questions however before I jumped in to this. The durability and even insulation properties are very different between say pine and a hardwood....so material is going to make a big difference. Your also looking at a tanker truck of wood sealer! Also keep in mind as timber dries over time it warps. I would certainly have the same project quoted as a stick built as well and compare costs.

 

[bwoods11]

It pays to read... 300/400 square feet sounds much better.

 

[John-W-WI]

It pays to read... 300/400 square feet sounds much better.

Thanks for that.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

edit....log cabins and timber frames are 2 different things completely. I now see that the pictures in the link provided are of a log cabin, although the title of the thread says "Timber Frame." If the OP is building a timber frame with 8x8's as it seems in the title, see below. If not, disregard.

I've built about a dozen timber frames and I teach a high school timber frame class...we build 2 a year. Advantages...they are strong and handsome. But they can be expensive unless you cut the joinery yourself. A stick built building can be put up in a few days by an experienced crew. If you're going to add electricity, windows, plumbing and interior sheetrock or wall sheathing you'll have to stud out the spaces between the 8x8's anyway. So, just build with 2x4's. Timber frames are awesome. They look great. Cutting the joinery is rewarding. And raising one is a blast. But practically, the reason they fell out of favor is because stick built structures are faster and easier.

 

[j-bird]

edit....log cabins and timber frames are 2 different things completely. I now see that the pictures in the link provided are of a log cabin, although the title of the thread says "Timber Frame." If the OP is building a timber frame with 8x8's as it seems in the title, see below. If not, disregard.

I've built about a dozen timber frames and I teach a high school timber frame class...we build 2 a year. Advantages...they are strong and handsome. But they can be expensive unless you cut the joinery yourself. A stick built building can be put up in a few days by an experienced crew. If you're going to add electricity, windows, plumbing and interior sheetrock or wall sheathing you'll have to stud out the spaces between the 8x8's anyway. So, just build with 2x4's. Timber frames are awesome. They look great. Cutting the joinery is rewarding. And raising one is a blast. But practically, the reason they fell out of favor is because stick built structures are faster and easier.

That is cool that you are teaching something like that. Many schools are not interested teaching kids on how to work with their hands these days. I have been in a few true timber frame buildings before and they are a work of art. The mass and ruggedness of them is very, very cool. After doing some additional digging their is a big difference between true timber frame and the image shared in the OP that looks much more like a log cabin with square logs.

 

[mtholton]

I might be mixing up the terminology, but as I understand it, they are stacked timbers with the joints mentioned above. Seem more in the spirt of an old school trappers cabin.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I might be mixing up the terminology, but as I understand it, they are stacked timbers with the joints mentioned above. Seem more in the spirt of an old school trappers cabin.

I see. A frame made from timbers....but not a "timber frame." Pretty cool though! I know nothing about them. Good luck with your build.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

That is cool that you are teaching something like that. Many schools are not interested teaching kids on how to work with their hands these days. I have been in a few true timber frame buildings before and they are a work of art. The mass and ruggedness of them is very, very cool. After doing some additional digging their is a big difference between true timber frame and the image shared in the OP that looks much more like a log cabin with square logs.

Thanks j-bird. Yeah, the class is popular in my school. We do two 10x10 or 12x16's year. I normally have a buyer already lined up so I can build it to their specs. If I don't, we build a frame and I put it on Craigs List and it sells within 30 minutes of the listing. I listed a 10x10 shed with a 12/12 pitch roof and a full floor for $1500. I had 12 people lined up to buy it within the half hour. Probably I'm listing them too low. But, they are student projects and are not always perfect. Just glad somebody is getting a nice frame at a decent price.

Here's a few pics....proud of these kids!

 

[John-W-WI]

Awesome pictures Natty. You should feel really good about teaching that kind of skill to young people. Those are skills they will use the rest of their life even if they never build another building. Well done!

-John

 

[j-bird]

That is really cool... No power tools! I have an old wood barn sort of constructed that way...native lumber, doweled together. It has had some modern maintenance done to it along the way, but still has that "vibe". It has seen better days and was used as a sheep barn for decades, but makes for a neat setting for trophy pics! That native timber once it dries out is hard as a rock...can't drive a nail into it, yet somehow the carpenter bees seem to be able to bore holes in it! We simply use it for covered storage, black smith shop and what ever else needs doing.

ignore the deer!

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Glad I clicked on this thread! Way cool Natty!

 

[Telemark]

My opinion is this:

Find out what kind of maintenance it needs, and decide based on that.

I can't think of anything cooler than a log/timber cabin as a hunting "base camp." If you think it through and do your due diligence(initial cost, maintenance, cost to heat, cost to insure, etc.), and you decide it's worth it, I doubt you will ever be disappointed. I'm envious just looking at the example you provided.

However, if it is just too much to maintain, then it's a bad idea. It would just be a headache in the future. And the older you get, the more difficult such things become.

My dream is to have such a place. Something big enough, but not too big. Rustic, but comfortable. A large vaulted commons area with a cozy loft. Bunk rooms on a back hallway with good sound insulation, removed from the noise. So no matter who comes to deer camp, there's something for everyone.

 

[swat1018]

Awesome that the kids are experience that kind of education. Around here they would fire you for allowing the kid to climb a ladder without a fall restraint, or allowing them to hold a sharp instrument. Refreshing that some teachers and admin still get it...

 

[j-bird]

I'm just glad to see a school/teacher that is teaching a skill that means putting people to work. Far too many schools focus on only college prep and those who are not destined fro college are just screwed! Wood working, construction, plumbing, electrical, small engine, welding and the like are trades that many schools simply don't teach any more. And they certainly don't encourage it even if they do teach it. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WORKING FOR A LIVING!

 

[Dukslayr]

I think the timber frame cabins are awesome. My neighbor has one very similar to what you’re describing and it’s very neat and very cozy (he has a loft in his). I am in the process of deciding what to build on my place and was considering something similar to what my neighbor built......until he walked me through the maintenance requirements. Holy hell there’s no way I could keep up with all the stuff he has to do. My non hunting time at the farm is limited as it is so the extra maintenance for me was a deal breaker. I will be building a (mostly) maintenance free metal building instead. The wood looks incredible but just too much for me to keep up with. I’m going to finish the inside like a cabin so it’ll feel like his inside but the outside won’t require the maintenance.

Thomas

 

[jackpine]

Awesome pictures Natty. You should feel really good about teaching that kind of skill to young people. Those are skills they will use the rest of their life even if they never build another building. Well done!

-John

x2

Those kids will drive by those sheds in future and be able to tell their kids and grandkids that they built it back when they were in H.S.

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[weekender21]

That is cool that you are teaching something like that. Many schools are not interested teaching kids on how to work with their hands these days. I have been in a few true timber frame buildings before and they are a work of art. The mass and ruggedness of them is very, very cool. After doing some additional digging their is a big difference between true timber frame and the image shared in the OP that looks much more like a log cabin with square logs.

Thanks j-bird. Yeah, the class is popular in my school. We do two 10x10 or 12x16's year. I normally have a buyer already lined up so I can build it to their specs. If I don't, we build a frame and I put it on Craigs List and it sells within 30 minutes of the listing. I listed a 10x10 shed with a 12/12 pitch roof and a full floor for $1500. I had 12 people lined up to buy it within the half hour. Probably I'm listing them too low. But, they are student projects and are not always perfect. Just glad somebody is getting a nice frame at a decent price.

Here's a few pics....proud of these kids!

View attachment 22582
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How do I sign up for your class?!


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[Natty Bumppo]

How do I sign up for your class?!


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Funny. I've had 5 or 6 guys e-mail me or call me after seeing an article about my class in a local paper and ask me if I would teach some kind of an adult learning course. I'm working on that now with my principal and superintendent. My plan is to do some kind of a 20 hour night course over and hire some of my former students as teaching assistants.

Breaking Up the Routine